UG: 4.s30 | G: 4.s32

Students will learn the basics of capturing documentary footage and sounds in real world scenarios. Learn to navigate the ethics and complexities of capturing “reality” and depicting real people and representing “truth”.

Students will learn how to edit for the desired final product, be it a film or alternative medium such as interactive, web, installation, location intervention and more.

From Robert Flaherty (Silent Era) to John Grierson (British Model) to Morin & Rouch (Cinema Verite) to George Stoney (Community Engagement) to Errol Morris (Epistomological Interview) to Adam Curtis (Journalistic Essay), learn the history and context of documentary and the various ways people have attempted to represent the real world, including newer hybrid forms that mix fiction and non-fiction and non-linear interactive works.

Students will produce a documentary short on the subject and in the medium of their choice.

Introduces artistic practice and critical visual thinking through three studio-based projects using different scales and media, for instance, "Body Extension," "Shaping Time," "Public Making," and/or "Networked Cultures." Each project concludes with a final presentation and critique. Students explore sculptural, architectural, performative artistic methods; video and sound art; site interventions and strategies for artistic engagement in the public realm. Lectures, screenings, guest presentations, field trips, readings, and debates supplement studio practice. Also introduces students to the historic, cultural, and environmental forces affecting both the development of an artistic vision and the reception of a work of art.

4.314 U / 4.315 G

Examines artistic practice as a form of critical inquiry and knowledge production. Offers opportunity to develop art as a means for addressing the social, cultural, and ecological consequences of technology, to build bridges between industry and culture, and to challenge the boundaries between public and private, and human and non-human. Provides instruction in evaluating models of experimentation, individual research, and collaboration with other disciplines in the arts, culture, science, and technology. Supports the development of individual and collective artistic research projects. Additional work required of students taking the graduate version. 

Bioart is an interdisciplinary field that explores the intersection of art and biology, bridging the gap between science, technology, and artistic expression. This graduate-level course introduces students to the theoretical foundations and practical techniques of bioart, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and ethical considerations in the creation of bio-inspired artworks. Through a combination of theoretical discussions, hands-on bio lab work, studio practice, and guest lectures from experts in the field, students will gain a deep understanding of the historical context, ethical implications, and cutting-edge applications of bioart including DNA origami and Tissue printing. 

Course Objectives:

1. Understand the historical context and evolution of bioart as an art form.
2. Explore the ethical considerations and social implications of bioart.
3. Acquire practical skills and techniques for creating bio-inspired artworks.
4. Engage in critical discussions on the intersection of art and biology.
5. Collaborate with peers to develop innovative bioart projects.
6. Analyze and interpret bioartworks from various perspectives.
7. Develop a strong foundation for future research in bioart.

4.314/4.315 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)
 

Designed for students writing a thesis in Urban Studies and Planning or Architecture. Develop research topics, review relevant research and scholarship, frame research questions and arguments, choose an appropriate methodology for analysis, and draft introductory and methodology sections.

Program of research and writing of thesis; to be arranged by the student with supervising committee. 

Class meets in-person.

Program of thesis research leading to the writing of an SB thesis. Intended for seniors. Twelve units recommended.

Research and project activities, which cover the range represented by the various research interests and projects in the Department.

Research and project activities, which cover the range represented by the various research interests and projects in the department. Students who wish a letter grade option for their work must register for 4.URG.

Color cuts through several realms of human activity, present and past. As “qualia” (an aspect of experience rather than a measurable or material entity), it has posed intriguing problems for cultural practitioners and theorists for centuries. Color is philosophically understood as living in the mind, raising the question of whether or not it “belongs” to objects in the world. Beginning from a central discipline of art history (histories of pigments, materials, minerals, and values) we will also explore color in the contexts of: chemical innovation, conventional naming systems, racialized concepts, psychophysics, trade, empire, and industry. A sometimes anxiety-provoking discourse in art and architecture, color is today a huge industry that exists to stabilize chroma, standardize color, and capitalize on the branding capacities and emotional connotations of hue. We will explore the philosophy and practice of color across the history of art and architecture, and the instructor welcomes final research projects that support your own work.

This graduate-level seminar will have an undergraduate track and can be negotiated for variable credit.

4.s67 Syllabus (MIT certificate protected)

Note: the room for this class has changed to 9-450

Modernist fantasies of infinite growth, premised on the relentless exploitation of natural environments, can be traced back in large part to the early modern period (ca. 1400–1750) in Europe. At this time, artisans, practitioners, intellectuals, and politicians gradually became convinced that humans could master nature, through art and industry, to yield endless abundance and material wealth. Often assimilated by its proponents and later historians under the rubric of “improvement,” it was an explosive and ultimately dangerous idea, and did not go unchallenged: to its detractors, in fact, we owe some our earliest notions of natural balance and sustainability.

 This class will study these debates and their manifestation in designed natures across scales, from art and decorative objects, to gardens, to engineered territories, focusing on Europe and its overseas empires. Throughout, we will explore how nature came to be seen as a resource, and examine how concepts of ingenuity, labor, value, abundance, and scarcity inflected early modern thinking across the interconnected realms of natural philosophy, political economy, and art and architecture.

4.s63 Syllabus (MIT Certificate protected)